What is Teflon made of?

Teflon is composed of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fluoropolymer that is resistant to high temperatures, solvents and acids. The material is hydrophobic, which means water and other liquids cannot stick to it.

Teflon is a trademarked name by DuPont, the American chemical company that discovered the material. It is primarily used as a non-stick coating material for several types of bakeware and cookware. Teflon used to be made with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), but the manufacturing process was changed due to public health concerns regarding the safety of PFOA. DuPont now makes Teflon for all nonstick cookware and bakeware products without PFOA.